Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 13 Hansard (9 December) . . Page.. 4202 ..


MR SMYTH (continuing):

Australian Federal Police ACT Region Drug Strategy ACT

Community Crime Prevention Strategy

ACT Youth Health Policy

ACT Health Promotion Policy and Strategic Plan

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan

ACT Sexual Health and Blood Borne Diseases Strategic Plan

ACT Whole of Territory Mental Health Strategic Plan

ACT Drugs in Sports Policy

Department of Education and Community Services Draft Education

Policy Framework for ACT Government Schools

ACT Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy

Draft ACT Sexual Assault Services Strategic Plan

Department of Health and Community Care Dual Diagnosis Project

Department of Health and Community Care Policy on the Use and

Misuse of Benzodiazepines

Memorandum of Understanding between Department of Education

and Community Services and Department of Health and

Community Care on Health Promoting Schools

ACT Road Safety Strategy

Australian Capital Cities Resolution on Drugs

It is important that everybody knows that across-the-board, in all portfolios, this Government is committed to drug reduction. We are committed to reducing the incidence of drug use in our society because we believe that it is important to reduce it.

Mr Hird said that the police do not want it to happen. The defence is that policemen do not want it to happen; therefore, it should not happen. I am very lucky to be the ACT Government's representative on the Capital City Lord Mayors Committee. At our recent meeting in Melbourne, Neil Comrie, the Commissioner of the Victoria Police, a third generation Victorian walloper, got up and said, "I was wrong. I used to think that we should lock them all up because that was the answer. It is not the answer". That day the Melbourne City Council announced that it would institute recovery rooms, which I think are in some way similar to what we are doing here. But there we had a man with eminent qualifications as a police officer saying that he cannot stop it happening. (Extension of time granted)

It is important that we put aside personal feelings and fears and it is important that we get a little bit emotional about this subject, because it is an emotional subject. When we get through that emotion and the harsh light of reality comes up with a response that we are uncomfortable with, we should not necessarily reject it. We know that it is the right response, but we can still feel uncomfortable with things. That should not stop us. I am not comfortable with the alternatives if we do not go ahead with this proposal.

What are the alternatives? The alternatives are that more Canberrans will die. The alternatives are that Canberrans will continue to take heroin on the streets, without any need to be exposed to the range of services and counselling that we can provide to help them. If it means that we will stop more Canberrans from being infected with HIV and hepatitis A and C, we as legislators must take advantage of that opportunity. We need to put aside personal discomfort and any fears that we have about this matter. Sometimes it


Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .